Computer-Based Screening May Reduce Teen Substance Abuse

Last Updated: May 07, 2012.
A computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice system for primary care can increase adolescent receipt of substance use screening across a variety of practice settings, according to a study published online May 7 in Pediatrics.

Screening plus physician advice may reduce teen use of alcohol and cannabis

MONDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- A computer-facilitated screening and provider brief advice (cSBA) system for primary care can increase adolescent receipt of substance use screening across a variety of practice settings, according to a study published online May 7 in Pediatrics.

Sion Kim Harris, Ph.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues recruited 12- to 18- year-olds arriving for routine care at nine medical offices in New England (2,096 participants; 58 percent female) and 10 offices in Prague, Czech Republic (589 participants; 47 percent female), with each site serving as its own control. Patients completed measurements only during the initial treatment-as-usual study phase. After provider training, all cSBA participants completed a computerized screen, and then watched screening results, scientific information, and true-life stories depicting substance use harms. Providers received screening results and "talking points" designed to prompt two to three minutes of brief advice.